Improvement in gate-latches



A. c. WOQLMAN.

GATE-LATCH.

No. 193,630i Pate nted Ju1y 31, 187 7.

UNITED ITJIATES AUGUSTUS O. WOOLMAN, OF BELLEFONTAINE, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN GATE-LATCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 193,830, dated July 31, 1877; application filed June 20, 1877.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS O. WOOL- MAN, of 'Bellefontaine, in the county of Logan and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gate-Latches 5 and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in gate-latches; and it consists mainly in making the base, in which the latch is fastened or held, in two parts, each part having a recess in its rear side, so that the latch may be applied to either rightor left hand doors or gates, as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

The accompanying drawings represent my invention. (1, represents a gate or door to which my latch is applied. The latch b is cast in a single piece, and consists of the vertical stem 11, theinclined hood 0, the horizontal pivot g, and the vertical stop h. The pivot part 9 passes through the base i, which base is made in two parts, and is recessed on its inner side, so as to receive the stop h. This base is made in two parts, and the joint by which these parts are joined together are slightly dovetailed, so that they cannot readily comeapart.- By making this base in two parts the latch 12 can be applied so that the stop will rest in the recess 0 in the rear side of either one, and thus the latch is adapted to be applied to a right or left hand gate at will. The hood is inclined and made the shape shown, so that as the gate or door is closed this inclined portion will strike against the inclined surface of the catch or keeper l, and force the latch to one side sufficiently far to allow it to freely pass the look, when the latch, owing to the weight of the stem 01, instantly falls back into position again, and one corner of the hood catches behind the catch or keeper, so as to hold the gate or door closed. By having a loop, m, of any kind, to catch over the lower end of the stem d the gate can be securely locked, so that it cannot be opened until the loop has been removed.

In applying my latch to gates and doors it is only necessary to notice which way the gate or door opens, and then turn that portion of the base which has its recess suitably shaped to allow the stop to turn freely in it at the bottom, and then screw the base and latch to the gate.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. The base i, made in two parts, and having a recess, 0, made in each of them, whereby either part may be made to receive the stop h, thus enabling the latch to be applied to right or left hand doors or gates, substantially as shown.

2. The latch b, consisting of the stem d, hood 0, pivot part 9, and stop h, substantially as shown.

3. The base t, made in two parts, each part 

